Diane E. Gibbons

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Diane E. Gibbons

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Prior offices
Bucks County Court of Common Pleas

Education

Bachelor's

Temple University

Law

Temple University

Diane E. Gibbons was a judge on the Bucks County Court of Common Pleas in Pennsylvania.[1] Gibbons was elected to the court in 2007.[2] She was retained in the general election on November 7, 2017.

Gibbons currently serves as a Senior Judge for Bucks County Court of Common Pleas.

Biography

Gibbons earned both her undergraduate degree and her J.D. from Temple University.[3]

Below is a summary of Gibbons' professional experience:

Elections

2017

See also: Pennsylvania local trial court judicial elections, 2017

Pennsylvania held local judicial elections on November 7, 2017. The filing deadline for judges running for retention was September 8, 2017. For the Courts of Common Pleas, after a judge has won an initial partisan election, subsequent terms are attained through retention elections.[5] [6]

Bucks County Court of Common Pleas, Diane E. Gibbons Retention, 2016
Name Yes votes
Green check mark transparent.pngDiane E. Gibbons72.80%
Source: Pennsylvania Department of State, "2017 Election Unofficial Returns," accessed November 8, 2017

Selection method

See also: Partisan election of judges

The 439 judges of the court of common pleas are elected to 10-year terms in partisan elections. Candidates may cross-file with both political parties for the partisan primaries, which are followed by general elections where the primary winners from each party compete.[7][8] Judges must run in yes-no retention elections if they wish to continue serving after their first term. A separate part of the ballot is designated for these elections, and judges' names appear without respect to party affiliation.[7][9]

  • The president judge of each Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas is chosen by either peer vote or seniority, depending on the size of the court. Statewide, all courts composed of more than seven individuals must select their chief judge by peer vote. Those with seven or fewer members select their chief by seniority.[7][10]

Qualifications
To serve on an appellate or general jurisdiction court, a judge must:[7]

  • have state residence for at least one year;
  • be a district resident for at least one year (for common pleas judges);
  • be a member of the state bar; and
  • be under the age of 75.

While retirement at 75 is mandatory, judges may apply for senior judge status. Senior judges may serve as such until the last day of the calendar year in which they turn 78.[10]

See also

External links

Footnotes

{{SU-PA2017outcome lc|Name=Diane E. Gibbons |PreG=|GL= |GW=